TAVA Cuisine of India — Restaurant in Virginia

TL;DR If you like Indian or Indian-Chinese food, go here.

Food: an excellent variety of Indian dishes including both North and South Indian dishes as well as Indian-Chinese options. We tried the Baby Corn Manchurian, Tandoori Chicken (note, this is bone-in), Chicken Tikka (always a good litmus test), roti and garlic Naan. Every dish was superb and I would easily recommend them.

The menu also had offerings of dosas and idlis, as well as plenty of Indian Chinese. Personal note: I am very glad to have finally found a good place for this and it truly is true to flavors from back in India.

The Tandoori Chicken was served on a sizzler plate and had some very good char but was bone-in and included some small bones, so caution is advised if sharing with kids. It was served with a white mint chutney which was interesting. The Tikka had a good level of spice to flavor balance (we chose spicy) and came with white rice that was well cooked.

Spice scale: they use an Indian spice scale ranging from very mild to very spicy. I would recommend medium to most customers who enjoy the heat and spicy as the most anyone should go.

Service: our waitress was extremely friendly and efficient. And the owner (we believe) came over to check if everything tasted good and was to our liking.

Drinks: the menu included several traditional Indian drinks such as Lassi, mango lassi, and others. We did not sample these.

Ambiance: It is located on the first floor as part of the Short Pump Crossing Shopping Center and features a large dining space that includes booths, freestanding tables, window tables, and high chairs at the bar. I would consider this a comfortable restaurant that is family-friendly and could work for a date (with the right person).

Pricing: their pricing is higher than the $10-$20 the listing suggests. For 2 people, our total bill for dishes listed was $60. They were happy to split the bill for us as well.

Overall. I'm glad to have found this place close to the mall and will be returning to try more of their dishes. A very good experience and an...

Mmm - a mixed bag. Went there to dine around 6pm on a Friday -- restaurant empty but their take-out seemed active. Four other couples came in while we were eating.

First the service -- girl and a guy - pleasant and OK -- but very inattentive .. sat us with menu and then 10 mins to come and ask about drinks (with an empty restaurant - we had to signal to them that we were thirsty :-) ) No wine for some reason -- my wife said they had only opened a couple of weeks prior so we gave them slack as teething problems -- then came to find out this morning that they have been open for over FOUR months -- so no excuses !

Second the menu - really ! Plastic diner style - with decor looks and feels like a higher end restaurant .. prices are certainly $$$ not $$. Get a NICE looking and feeling menu -- not something that is so out of place.

OK -- now to the important stuff -- the food.

We had:

Chicken Saag - hot - was superb - juicy and tasty Lamb Makhni - sauce VERY good - lamb was dry and tough - almost sent it away !! Added a Gobi Manchurain appetiser as a accompanying vegetable. I thought it was fantastic -- my wife less so as it was dredged and friend with flour and she is Gluten Free -- point to owner: show Gluten Free options on the menu. Regular Naan - very tasty - for me of course :-)

Second note to owner: add side orders of vegetables to the menu -- nobody wants to order whole entrée orders of Yellow Dal Tadka or Aloo Gobi Masala just to have vegetables with the meal -- I asked and they said not available .. I have walked out of Indian Restaurants here in the USA that will not do 1/2 portions of vegetable dishes .. much better to just them put on the menu ! I am used to English Indian Restaurants where sides are standard !

Overall -- nice ambiance, good food with issues of dry and chewy lamb (it should fall apart with a fork!), service slack but OK and polite. Restaurant feels like it needs some serious TLC from the owner to get it right if they are to survive the stiff competition in the area...

We went to Tava Cuisine for the first time today. I was totally disappointed with their service. There is no proper greeting for customers at all. To boot, the restaurant looks big for dine-in, but the food is served in plastic containers. The waiter gave us paper plates after the food was served in a plastic container (which is typically used for takeout.) No water was served, though there was a bottle of tap water (not distilled water) with paper cups. One of our orders was Aloo-Gobi with rice, but no rice was served. When I checked with Ms. Pranila (the only English-speaking staff member who's polite, though), she said the cooks must have forgotten to serve it. The Aloo-Gobi gravy was of adequate quantity, but the quantity of rice was so low that it was fit enough for a five year old.

Suggestions: Greet customers when they enter. Lead them to the table. When customers greet you, respond appropriately. Don't stare at them, not knowing what to do. Do not use plastic or paper cutlery and plates. Use fine, scratch-proof porcelain plates, bowls, and dishware. Waiters ought to speak in English only. Do not speak in your native language loudly when you come across your native people. Pour water on glass cups and politely hand them the Menu cards. Strike a polite conversation and talk about appetizers, etc. After serving the order, follow up and check on them.

If you cannot do the foregoing, please do not run a...